A new L.A. law gives storage-unit renters the right to temporarily defer payment if they're facing pandemic-related financial difficulties.
Unlike an apartment, where a landlord would need to go through a lengthy legal process to lock a tenant out of their unit, storage facility operators can do so within days if a tenant is issued a lien and doesn’t pay.
Operators, once back in possession of the storage unit, can auction all the items. For some, like Rebecca Wu, those items include family photo albums, or whatSelf-storage industry consultant Jim Chiswell said the city’s action interferes with the free market, in part by creating “an artificial future date” for the pandemic’s end. He added that the industry has collectively adopted many of the protections written into the Los Angeles law, including delaying auctions and tabling rent increases.Toby Marcell, of Houston, said in an email that he was threatened with eviction from his Public Storage unit on April 20. “They did insist we pay for the month, although I’ve been laid off and my girlfriend managed a bar, since shuttered,” Marcell said in the email. “They even broke the lock and appraised our property inside.” Public Storage, a large national company, did not respond to requests for comment. Previously, company spokesman Paul Rose said evictions in L.A. County had been halted throughout May, but did not respond to inquiries about details of the policy.One thing both Chiswell and Ryu agreed on was the importance of self-storage in many people’s lives, across the socioeconomic spectrum. Some homeless people depend on storage units to protect belongings from rain, theft and city cleanups. And countless home-business owners rely on storage units to hold inventory and receive shipments, Chiswell said.
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